Skip to Content

MC1403409: Required update for organizational authentication in Excel Power Query (Entra ID)

By: Author Alex Lim

Posted on

Categories Update

Home » Update » MC1403409: Required update for organizational authentication in Excel Power Query (Entra ID)

Summary

  • Excel Power Query is changing its authentication flow for connections to enterprise data sources that use Organizational Accounts (Microsoft Entra ID).
  • The change affects users running Excel 2021 version 21.08 or older unsupported Excel/Office versions.
  • Affected Power Query connectors include common sources such as SharePoint, SQL Server, Exchange, Power BI, Dataverse, and Azure data services.
  • Newer supported versions of Microsoft 365 Apps and Excel are not affected.
  • IT should upgrade affected devices to a supported Excel build to avoid authentication failures.

Primary Service: Excel
Admin Impact: High
User Impact: Low
Release Start: 24 Jun 2026
Release End: 24 Jun 2026
Services: Dataverse, Entra, Excel, Exchange, M365 Apps, Power BI, SharePoint
Category: Prevent or fix issues
Tags: Admin Action, Feature Update, User Adoption

History

6/24/2026 Item Added to Message Center

Microsoft Message

If your organization is running up-to-date versions of Excel, no action is required and you can disregard this message. Otherwise, please review the guidance and take appropriate action.

What and Why

We are updating the authentication flow used by Excel Power Query when connecting to enterprise data sources using Organizational Accounts (Microsoft Entra ID). This change strengthens security and improves the reliability of connections to enterprise services. The update aligns Excel with modern authentication standards, helping organizations better protect access to enterprise data while providing a more consistent sign-in experience.

Newer versions of Excel, including Microsoft 365, already use this updated authentication mechanism and are not affected.

Rollout Schedule

We recommend updating as soon as possible, and no later than July 24, 2026.

Impact on Your Organization

Who is affected:

Excel users who connect to enterprise data sources through Power Query using Organizational Accounts (Microsoft Entra ID) and are running Excel 2021 version 21.08.

Affected Power Query connectors include, but are not limited to:

  • Web
  • Files (Excel, JSON, and others)
  • SharePoint (Lists, Folders, Files)
  • SQL Server
  • SQL Analysis Services
  • OData
  • HDFS
  • Exchange
  • Lakehouse
  • Warehouse
  • Power BI
  • Dataflows
  • Dataverse
  • SQL Database
  • SQL Analytics
  • Data Lake Gen 2
  • Azure Data Explorer
  • Azure Blob
  • Azure Table
  • PostgreSQL
  • Oracle
  • Dynamics 365

Platforms/Services:

  • Excel (desktop)
  • Power Query
  • Microsoft Entra ID

What will happen:

  • Users running unsupported or outdated Excel versions will lose the ability to authenticate using Organizational Accounts.
  • Microsoft 365 and newer supported versions of Excel are not affected.
  • Older, unsupported Office versions will no longer function for these authentication scenarios.

Action Required / Recommendations

To avoid disruption:

  • Update devices running Excel 2021 version 21.08 to build 16.0.14334.20754 or later by July 24, 2026.
  • Devices running Excel versions older than 21.08 should be upgraded to a newer, supported version of Excel.

Compliance considerations

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.